Nature of the early republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nature of the early republic - Essay Example This rebellion soon spread to the other colonies and the situation was aggravated by King George's proclamation that the colonies were engaged in rebellion. With this the war of independence commenced. On the 4th of July 1776 the declaration of independence was adopted and with this the United States of America was formed. Initially the British had to contend with only the Americans but gradually other European powers joined the fray. In France there was a great deal of public support for the American cause and it began to provide aid to the American colonies. Further a treaty of alliance was signed between France and colonies. According to this treaty France would support the colonies in their struggle with the British. This resulted in a war between Britain and France in 1778. The beleaguered British proffered the olive branch to the colonies and on the 3rd of September 1783 the independence, freedom and sovereignty of these American colonies were recognised by Britain. Thus, despite several initial hardships the Americans emerged as a strong and coherent nation (THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE: Chapter 3). Subsequent to the achievement of independence Congress passed a resolution on the 10th of May 1776, requiring the colonies to form new governments that would enhance the happiness and safety of their constituents. Accordingly most of the states drew up their own constituents. In order to protect certain rights whose infringement had led to secession from Britain, a bill of rights was incorporated into these constitutions. Some of these were freedom of speech, freedom of elections, freedom of the press and the right to change the government. A major problem faced by this fledgling nation was that of expansion in the western part of the United States.... This essay stresses that a major problem faced by this fledgling nation was that of expansion in the western part of the United States. The pioneers had settled here and these places were highly dispersed. Since, they were isolated by mountain ranges and large distances from the political authorities in the east, they had formed their own governments. Moreover, these far flung lands were claimed by several states and no resolution of this dispute seemed to be in sight. This problem of over lapping claims was resolved by states like New York and Virginia, which ceded all their claims to these territories. In this manner national sovereignty was strengthened. This paper makes a conclusion that the new policy repudiated the time-honored concept that colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country, were politically subordinate, and peopled by social inferiors. Instead, it established the principle that colonies ("territories") were an extension of the nation and entitled, not as a privilege but as a right, to all the benefits of equality. On the 21st of February 1787 a conference was held in which the Virginia plan was proposed by Madison. The Constitution proposed in this convention was sent for ratification to the 13 states of the Union. Delaware was the first state to ratify it on the 7th of December 1787. The Congress is not empowered to decide as to whether a particular person is to be tried or not. This power is vested solely with the executive.